Forest Sciences Commons^™

A Comparative Taxonomic And Diversity Study Of Litter-Associated Fungi In Northwest Arkansas Forests, Rajaa Abdulrazzaq Abbas Al Aanbagi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fungi are taxonomically the most species-rich group of organisms on the earth, ecologically occupy distinctive niches and interact with diverse other organisms throughout their biogeographic distributions and functionally play key roles through their various lifestyles. Plant litter, in particular, is a keystone component in ecosystems and provides heterogeneous microhabitats for the often overlooked litter-decomposing fungi and other organisms on the floor of temperate deciduous forests. Litter fungi involve indirect interactions with the plant, soil and whole food web network. However, the community structure and functions of litter-associated fungi as well as patterns of species richness distributed across various litter microhabitats …

A Comparative Ecological Study Of Limestone And Dolomite Glades In The Ozark Mountains Of Northwest Arkansas, Brittney Booth

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Glades are one of the many habitats that exist in the Arkansas Ozarks and contribute to the overall biodiversity of the state of Arkansas. For this study, five dolomite glades and five limestone glades in the Ozarks of northwest Arkansas were studied from March to October in the years 2017 and 2018 to determine the similarities or differences that might be present. One hundred and fifteen vascular plant taxa were documented in the dolomite glades and one hundred and three vascular plant taxa were documented in the limestone glades. Forty-six vascular plant taxa were unique to the dolomite glades and …

Smokejumper Obituary: Romey, Mark L. (Missoula 1975), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Smokejumper Obituary: Reed, Linwood L. (Cave Junction 1956), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Smokejumper Obituary: Whitaker, Lloyd E. (Redding 1966), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Wood-Inhabiting Fungi Of The Eastern Ecuadorian Cloud Forest: Fungal Diversity Comparison Along An Altitudinal Gradient In The Rio Zuñac Reserve, Thane Gehring, Rosa Batalles

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

Wood-inhabiting fungi are responsible for the degradation of dead wood, playing a role in nutrient cycling and nutrient transport making them indispensable to their ecosystem’s health. Fungi are generally understudied, specifically in the tropics despite its proven hotspot in diversity and the importance of conservation. Wood-inhabiting fungi were investigated in the eastern Andean montane cloud forest of Ecuador to determine the biodiversity, distribution, and relation to an altitudinal gradient. Along multiple ridges of EcoMinga’s Rio Zuñac reserve, 13 20x20 meter (0.1-hectare) quadrants between the altitudes of 1300 to 2000 meters were sampled for wood-inhabiting fungi. A total of 175 samples …

Extreme Fire As A Management Tool To Combat Regime Shifts In The Range Of The Endangered American Burying Beetle, Alison K. Ludwig, Daniel R. Uden, Dirac Twidwell

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study is focused on the population of federally-endangered American burying beetles in south-central Nebraska. It is focused on changes in land cover over time and at several levels of spatial scale, and how management efforts are impacting both the beetle and a changing landscape. Our findings are applicable to a large portion of the Great Plains, which is undergoing the same shift from grassland to woodland, and to areas where the beetle is still found.

Smokejumper Obituary: Filler, Merl C. (Mccall 1952), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Conceptual Planning Of Urban–Rural Green Space From A Multidimensional Perspective: A Case Study Of Zhengzhou, China, Bo Mu, Chang Liu, Guohang Tian, Yaqiong Xu, Yali Zhang, Audrey L. Mayer, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The structure and function of green-space system is an eternal subject of landscape architecture, especially due to limited land and a need for the coordinated development of PLEs (production, living, and ecological spaces). To make planning more scientific, this paper explored green-space structure planning via multidimensional perspectives and methods using a case study of Zhengzhou. The paper applies theories (from landscape architecture and landscape ecology) and technologies (like remote sensing, GIS—geographic information system, graph theory, and aerography) from different disciplines to analyze current green-space structure and relevant physical factors to identify and exemplify different green-space planning strategies. Overall, our analysis …

Does Installation Method Affect Snake Entanglement In Erosion Control Blankets?, Nicholas C. Schiwitz, Kasey L. Jobe, Krista J. Ward

Undergraduate Research Conference

Erosion control blankets (ECBs) are installed at construction sites to mitigate against soil loss and promote plant growth. Wildlife, particularly snakes, are prone to becoming entangled in ECBs that contain fixed‐intersection, small‐diameter polypropylene mesh with multiple layers (Ebert et al. 2019 Wildl. Soc. Bull.; Fig. 1).

The majority of ECBs on the Texas Department of Transportation’s Approved Product List contain fixed-intersection mesh, which pose a risk to snakes.

Snake entanglements often occur at the edge of an ECB where the snake often passes between the multiple mesh layers (Ebert et al. 2019 Wildl. Soc. Bull.)

Burying the edge of an …

Artificial Perches As A Technique For Enhancing Tropical Forest Restoration: A Case Study From The Dominican Republic, Spencer Schubert, Ally S. Lahey, Ashley R. Weisman, Eric L. Walters

College of Sciences Posters

Recovering secondary forests on degraded agricultural lands represents a promising opportunity to offset global carbon emissions as well as increasing local biodiversity and ecosystem services. In the insular tropical forests of the Caribbean, frugivorous birds are the primary seed dispersers for most native woody plants and have a large influence on regeneration dynamics during forest succession. In 2017, we initiated an experimental forest restoration program incorporating artificial perches on private farms within the Rio Yaque del Norte watershed in La Vega province, Dominican Republic. Five restoration plots (0.15–0.25 ha) were constructed in pastures near deforested streams. In each plot, 6-12 …

Can Innovative Land Access Strategies For Agroforestry Provide More Land Management Options?

Working Trees (USDA-NAC)

Can innovative land access strategies for agroforestry provide more land management options?

Land access examples: silvopasture, alley cropping, riparian forest buffer, and forest farming.

On The Diversity Of Erosion Control Products: Implications For Snake Entanglement, Kasey L. Jobe, Nicholas C. Schiwitz, Krista Ward

Undergraduate Research Conference

After a road construction project, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) mandates that erosion control products (ECPs) are installed to prevent soil loss and promote plant growth. However, their presence on the landscape pose negative consequences to wildlife via entanglement.

TxDOT provides an Approved Products List (APL) of ECPs meeting soil erosion prevention and plant growth standards. In Texas, multiple types of ECPs are produced with a range of materials and attributes to decrease the erosion potential on multiple soil types and slopes. Certain attributes are more likely to lead to snake entanglement (Ebert et al. 2019 Wildl. Soc. Bull.; Fig. …

How Can Agreements For Long-Term Land Access Achieve Multiple Goals?

Working Trees (USDA-NAC)

How can agreements for long-term land access achieve multiple goals?

Beginning and experienced farmers alike seek long-term access to land; however, many don’t have the funds to purchase land outright. Long-term leases and other land access arrangements allow the farmer to secure long-term land tenure without requiring a lot of money upfront.

Mediterranean House Geckos Exploit Novel Resources In A Recipient Lizard Assemblage, John M. Arnett, Connor S. Adams, Carmen G. Montana

Undergraduate Research Conference

A species’ ecological niche represents the environmental conditions needed for an individual to replace itself and is comprised of multiple resource axes (Pianka 2000 Evol. Ecol.).

One mechanism of establishment of non-native species is via exploitation of novel resources in recipient ecosystems through their unique functional traits (Schalk et al. 2018 Biol. Invas.).

Mediterranean House Geckos (Hemidactylus turcicus) are an exotic species introduced in urban areas across Texas, yet little is known about their resource use relative to native lizards.

We hypothesized that H. turcicus would exhibit low overlap in resource use in their habitat, dietary, and isotopic niches compared …

Working Trees Info: Can Innovative Land Access Strategies For Agroforestry Provide More Land Management Options?

Working Trees (USDA-NAC)

An agricultural lease is a private contract that grants someone (the farmer-tenant) a legal right to occupy and use the land of someone else (the landlord/landowner) for agricultural purposes. The long-term lease allows the farmer to secure long-term land tenure without requiring a lot of money upfront. Other long-term land access strategies include easements and licenses.

Long-term land access strategies are particularly key for farmers engaged in agroforestry ventures, as perennial woody crops inherently require extended time before becoming economically productive and can remain productive for a number of years.

Correcting Tree-Ring Δ13c Time Series For Tree-Size Effects In Eight Temperate Tree Species, Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur, Katie A. Jennings, Andrew P. Ouimette, Heidi Asbjornsen

All Materials

Stable carbon isotope ratios (δ¹³C) in tree rings have been widely used to study changes in intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE), sometimes with limited consideration of how C-isotope discrimination is affected by tree height and canopy position. Our goals were to quantify the relationships between tree size or tree microenvironment and wood δ¹³C for eight functionally diverse temperate tree species in northern New England, and to better understand the physical and physiological mechanisms underlying these differences. We collected short increment cores in closed-canopy stands and analyzed δ¹³C in the most recent 5 years of growth. …

Trends In Protected Area Representation Of Biodiversity And Ecosystem Services In Five Tropical Countries, Rachel A. Neugarten, Kevin Moull, Natalia Acero Martinez, Luciano Andriamaro, Curtis Bernard, Leonardo Saenz, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

In late 2020, governments will set the next decade of conservation targets under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Setting new targets requires understanding how well national protected area (PA) networks are spatially representing important areas for biodiversity and ecosystem services. We analyzed the representation of biodiversity priority areas (BPAs), forests, forest carbon stocks, non-timber forest products (NTFPs), and freshwater ecosystem services (FES) within terrestrial PA systems in Cambodia, Guyana, Liberia, Madagascar, and Suriname in 2003 and 2017. Four of the countries (all except Suriname) expanded their terrestrial PA networks during the study period. In all five countries, we found …

Smokejumper Magazine, April 2020, National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper and Static Line Magazines

This issue of the National Smokejumper Association (NSA) Smokejumper Magazine contains the following articles: Message from the President; Fighting Fire in Tasmania; Wildfires and Global Warming: A Continuous Cycle of Destruction; Kooskia Days; NSA Scholarship Program Expanded-Take Advantage!; Moose Creek Memorial; Touching All Bases; West Yellowstone Airtanker Base Closure; Off the List; Pendleton Honors the Triple Nickles; Eric Schoenfeld Remembered; Odds and Ends; Alaska Cutters; Feeding the "Beast" with Fire, Money; North Cascades 2019 Reunion; The Run for the Top; National Smokejumper Reunion 2020 June 26-28, 2020 in Boise, Idaho; Sounding Off from the Editor; One Year After the Camp …

An Apex Predator In Peril In The Western Lowlands Of Ecuador: Mapping The Population Distribution Of Harpy Eagles (Harpia Harpyja) In A Highly Deforested Region, Samuel Zhang

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) is a highly threatened bird of prey in Ecuador. While they are already elusive in the Ecuadorian Amazon, they are even lesser known in the coastal lowlands, and their existence is threatened by rapid deforestation. This study mapped their potential distribution by examining satellite images to find intact humid forest, their ideal habitat. Habitat areas were quantified using ImageJ. The only sites found to be adequate for sustaining Harpy Eagle populations were the primary forests in the vicinities of Reserva Ecológica Mache Chindul and Reserva Ecológica Cotacachi Cayapas. The two reserves are expected to be …